Shoe sole sewing machine



March 4, 1947. M. M. WALKEQR 2,416,784

SHOE SOLE SEWING MACHINE 24 fizz/en for 22 Myr'l M Walker 60 B I Patented Mar. 4, 1947 SHOE SOLE SEWING MACHINE Myrl M. Walker, Auburn, N. Y., assignorto United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. .L, a corporation of New Jersey Application January 31, 1946, Serial No. 644,636

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to shoe sole sewing machines and more particularly to improvements in edge gages, especially constructed for guiding shoe soles having studded or irregularly scalloped edges.

In the manufacture of certain types of ornamented shoes, soles are employed having a line of metallic studs or irregularly shaped or scalloped projections along their edges. In the construction of such shoes, frequent difificulty arises, particularly during sewing operations, in guiding the shoe uniformly where the guiding action is determined by the sole edge. For guiding the edge of a shoe sole in a sewing machine, it is customary to employ a narrow gage acting on the sole edge opposite the sewing point but, with an edge gage in its usual form, the projections or studs along the edge of a sole will cause the seam inserted to follow the irregular contour of the studs rather than a uniformly curving line conforming generally with the edge of the sole. Furthermore, with certain types of edge gage, the studs or other projections may be deformed, torn loose, or the feeding movement of the shoe impeded by engagement of a relatively narrow edge gage with sides of the studs or projections.

To obviate these difficulties, one object of the present invention is to provide an edge gage for a shoe sole sewingmachine which will act successfully in guiding a shoe sole edge in a uniform manner so that the seam inserted will lie substantially parallel to the general contour along the edge of the sole and in which there is no danger of injury to the parts being operated upon or of failure to feed the shoe properly regardless of the presence of studs or other projections along the sole edge. A further object is to improve the construction and mode of operation of an edge gage for a shoe sole sewing machine to render it more effective both for sewing shoe soles having studded edges and for those having smooth edges in the usual form.

In one form of the invention employed in attaching a stud-edged shoe sole to a lasted shoe, the sole is clamped between a work support and a presser foot during operation of the usual stitch forming devices and is guided along an elongated edge gage which is pivoted to swing during sewing operations about a center opposite to the point of operation of the stitch forming devices so that varying curvatures along the sole edge may be accommodated in spite of the length of the edge gage surface and the studs or other 'projections along the sole edge will ride along the elongated surface, more than one of the studs or projections engaging said surface at all times.

In this way, the edge gage bridges the space between the studs or projections without permitting engagement with the edges of the studs or causing? the sole to move in and out when ever a single stud or projection passes the sewing point. By avoiding an in-and-out movement of the sole edge, a uniformly curving seam following the general contour of the sole edge is insured.

Other features of the invention consist in novel and improved devices, constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed as will be readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the operating parts surrounding the sewing point of a McKay type shoe sewing machine embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view in side elevation, looking from the right side of the machine, of certain parts of the machine surrounding the sewing point together with a shoe being operated upon shown in section," and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the sole in the shoe of Fig. 2 and illustrating th manner of operation of the machine.

The illustrated machine is, a- McKay type shoe sewing machine similar in construction and mode of operation to that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,412,423, granted April 12,.

1922, upon an application filed in the name of John H. Richardson, and includes a rotary work supporting horn ID, a straight hook needle l2, a cast-off M, a feed point I6, and a work clamping presser foot l8, all operating in the same manner as described in the patent.

For certain types of work, the presser foot is provided with a relatively narrow edge gage bearing upon the edge surface of a shoe sole during the sewing operation. If the shoe sole is of uniformly curving contour, the seam inserted by the machinewill be guided smoothly at a uniform distance from the edge of the outsole in a satisfactory manner. However, if a shoe sole is provided with ornamental studs or projections similar to those indicated along the edge of the sole l9 in Fig. 3 at 20, the use of an edge gage in the usual form to guide the seam will cause the seam to be directed in an extremely erratic manner, the sole moving in and out as each stud engages the edge gage. ment of the shoe not only is undesirable from the Such in-and-out move- V sewing operations.

the present invention, illustrated machine is prises a bar than the distance between the studs or projections 20 and is mounted to swing on a pivot formed by a bolt 24 clamped for adjustment 26 in a rearwardly extending lug on the presser foot IS. The edge gage is enlarged along its central portion andsurrounds a section of increased diameter of the bolt 24, which section of increased diameter is drawn against the under side of the presser foot when the bolt is tightened, to clamp the bolt within the slot without causing the edge gage to be gripped against rotation, the edge gage being retained in position by the head of the bolt 24. For guiding the seam at different distances irom the edge of the outsole, the bolt 24 may be loosened and moved along the slot 2-6 to the desired position.

The work engaging surface of the edge gage, being elongated suiiiciently to bridge the space between the studs 20, guides the shoe being operated upon through contact with the outer surfaces of the studs without allowing the gage to come into contact with the sole edge proper,

Swinging movement of the edge gage about its pivot is limited by a pair of adjustable stop screws .28 having knurled heads. The adjusting screws are threadedly received within arms projecting laterally of the lug on the presser foot for receiving the bolt 24 and are engaged at their forward ends with rear surfaces of the edge gage so that, when the shoe is removed from the machine, there will be no opportunity for the gage to swing excessively on its pivot. Also, by tightening the adjusting screws against the edge gage, the gage may be secured immovably upon the presser foot for operating upon soles requiring a fixed gage. To secure the adjusting screws in fixed position after adjustment, the screws carry check nuts 30 acting against the arms of the presser foot.

an edge gage having an elongated, pivoted to swing during,

within a slot The lug on the presser foot which receives the pivot bolt 24 for the edge gage is so disposed that the gage swings about a center located opposite to the point of operation of the needle along the line of work feed in the machine. In this way, a more nearly uniform guiding movement along curving contours is given to a stud-edged shoe sole than if the pivot for the gage is located elsewhere.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a particular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is: a

1. A machine for sewing shoe soles provided with irregular or studded edges, having a work support, a presser foot, a hook needle, and other stitch forming devices, in combination with an elongated edge gage pivoted to swing during sewing operations about a center opposite to the point of operation of the stitch forming devices on the shoe sole.

2. A machine for sewing shoe soles provided with irregular or studded edges, having a work support, a presser foot, a hook needle, and other stitch forming devices, in combination with an elongated edge gage pivoted to swing during sewing operations about a center opposite to the point of operation of the stitch forming devices on the shoe sole, and means for limiting the swinging movement of the edge gage about its pivotal center.

3. A machine for sewing shoe soles provided with irregular or studded edges, having a work support, a presser foot, a hook needle, and other stitch forming devices, in combination with an elongated edge gage pivoted to swing during sewing operations about a center opposite to the point of operation of the stitch forming devices on the shoe sole, and means for limiting the swinging movement of the edge gage about its pivotal center, comprising adjustable stop screws engaging the edge gage.

4. A McKay type machine for sewing shoe soles provided with irregular or studded edges, having a rotary shoe entering horn, a presser foot for securing a shoe in sewing position on the horn, a straight hook needle, and other stitch forming devices, in combination with an elongated edge gage'pivoted to swing on the presser foot during sewing about a center opposite to the point of operation of the needle.

\ MYRL M. WALKER. 

